PWHL free agency preview: What each team needs this off-season

One week aft an enlargement draught threw PWHL rosters into a blender, teams volition person the accidental to commencement rebuilding with escaped agents.

Teams tin motion players connected expiring contracts opening Monday astatine 9 a.m. ET, and it should beryllium a engaged fewer days, with respective notable names available. The league besides has an introduction draught scheduled for June 24, which volition supply an injection of caller young talent.

Top escaped agents see 2024 PWHL MVP Natalie Spooner (Toronto Sceptres), two-way guardant Hannah Miller (Toronto Sceptres), Montreal Victoire defender Kati Tabin, and a radical of players who won back-to-back Walter Cups with the Minnesota Frost, including defender Mellissa Channell-Watkins, goaltender Maddie Rooney and guardant Michela Cava.

With the particulate settled connected expansion, here's what each squad could usage heading into the free-agent signing period.

Toronto Sceptres

The Sceptres emerged from the enlargement draught comparatively unscathed connected defence, though it apt wounded to suffer a promising rookie defender successful Megan Carter. But bringing backmost Kali Flanagan, who's a escaped agent, volition springiness Toronto 4 coagulated options connected the bluish line.

WATCH | Did the PWHL enlargement draught spell excessively far?

Both goaltenders stay with the squad too, though GM Gina Kingsbury hinted that the Sceptres are inactive sorting retired who volition instrumentality the pb successful nett adjacent season. Starter Kristen Campbell had a hard playoff bid against Minnesota, to the constituent wherever caput manager Troy Ryan opted to commencement third-string goaltender, Carly Jackson, successful a do-or-die game.

The squad volition person to determine whether to crook backmost to Campbell, spell with backup goaltender Raygan Kirk oregon find idiosyncratic new.

"There's nary uncertainty that we person to look astatine if there's different options oregon if this is the champion enactment and however to determination forward," Kingsbury said.

Up beforehand is wherever Toronto volition apt person to walk the bulk of its remaining headdress space, aft losing Sarah Nurse, Izzy Daniel and Julia Gosling to expansion.

"Maybe our wage headdress abstraction isn't arsenic large arsenic different markets, truthful we're going to person to beryllium originative successful however we are competitory successful this play of time," Kingsbury said. "But there's large worth successful an jock that has had clip to beryllium a portion of the league and has either proven themselves already oregon has the imaginable to beryllium themselves."

Montreal Victoire

The Victoire's play ended successful the archetypal circular of the playoffs for a 2nd consecutive year, and similar past year, it felt similar Montreal's extent was its undoing.

Most of the team's goals past play came from a apical enactment of Marie-Philip Poulin, Laura Stacey and Jennifer Gardiner. Now, Gardiner, on with 2nd liner, Abby Boreen, person been mislaid to expansion.

As a result, it won't beryllium a astonishment to spot a winger who tin play with Poulin and much extent scoring astatine the apical of Montreal's privation list.

That database should besides see 2 to 3 top-four defenders. With Tabin a escaped agent, and the pairing of Anna Wilgren and Cayla Barnes present heading to Seattle, Montreal enters the off-season with lone 2 defenders nether contract: Erin Ambrose and Amanda Boulier.

There's a batch of enactment for GM Danièle Sauvageau to bash to instrumentality Montreal to the apical of the standings. But luckily for her, she inactive has the champion subordinate successful the satellite successful Poulin, and 1 of the champion goaltenders successful the satellite successful Desbiens.

"We judge our instauration is strong, is solid," Sauvageau said. "We person stability. We proceed to turn with the players that we primitively signed."

Ottawa Charge

Ottawa emerged from enlargement with its starting goaltender (Gwyneth Philips), skipper (Brianne Jenner), 2 physical, unopen down defenders (Ronja Savolainen and Jocelyne Larocque) and a hard-to-play against archetypal enactment (Emily Clark, Gabbie Hughes and Mannon McMahon) inactive nether squad control. 

It's not a atrocious result for the squad that conscionable went each the mode to the PWHL Finals.

WATCH | PWHL Mic'd Up with Ottawa Charge's Hughes:

GM Mike Hirshfeld could usage much extent scoring and astatine slightest 2 much top-four defenders, aft losing some Ashton Bell and Aneta Tejralová to expansion.

He told reporters this week that he's assured the squad volition re-sign defender Stephanie Markowski. That leaves 3 to 4 spots connected defence to capable done the draft, escaped bureau oregon re-signing players connected expiring contracts.

Hirshfeld besides hinted that Ottawa is exploring a commercialized for a defender.

"We've spent the past 3 weeks moving done a clump of antithetic scenarios to marque definite that we person a truly solid, beardown bluish line, and we consciousness assured we'll beryllium capable to execute connected that plan," helium said.

PWHL Vancouver

Canada's newest PWHL squad enters the escaped bureau play having prioritized defence.

The squad is coagulated successful nett with Emerance Maschmeyer, and connected the bluish enactment with 4 young, puck-moving defenders.

The extremity successful escaped bureau volition beryllium to adhd 2 much top-six forwards, GM Cara Gardner Morey said.

She should person the headdress abstraction to bash that aft spending astir of the wealth up beforehand connected young forwards who transportation smaller salaries, but who Gardner Morey expects volition outperform expectations, specified arsenic Gardiner, Daniel, Brooke McQuigge and Gabby Rosenthal.

The evident escaped cause people would beryllium Toronto's Miller, who could beryllium tempted by a large declaration and the accidental to play successful her location state of British Columbia.

PWHL Seattle

While Vancouver prioritized defence, Seattle emerged from the enlargement process with 2 scary-looking apical lines that boast size and wicked shots, positive respective hard-to-play against defenders, and a starting goaltender.

There's besides a batch of younker connected this team, including 4 players selected successful the first-round of past year's draft.

Depth and possibly different top-four defender volition apt beryllium astatine the apical of GM Meghan Turner's precedence list.

Boston Fleet

The biggest nonaccomplishment for the Fleet apt comes successful the locker country with the departure of Hilary Knight to Seattle. 

GM Danielle Marmer said that not protecting Knight was the astir hard determination she's made successful her nonrecreational career.

Boston besides mislaid a smart, young guardant successful Hannah Bilka, who volition articulation Knight successful Seattle. 

But Marmer's priority heading into the off-season is to plug holes connected defence, aft 2 cardinal defenders were taken by enlargement teams.

New York Sirens

The bully quality is that the last-place Sirens are the lone squad that made it retired of enlargement without losing a azygous defender, an area GM Pascal Daoust prioritized erstwhile making his extortion selections.

The atrocious quality is the squad mislaid its starting goaltender and 2 of its top-three forwards to Seattle. Star forward Sarah Fillier is besides a restricted escaped cause who needs a caller contract.

With respective colleagues present successful request of defenders, Daoust could usage his wealthiness connected defence to hole the holes up beforehand via trade. He could besides usage the headdress abstraction freed up by the departure of players similar Alex Carpenter, Jessie Eldridge and Corinne Schroeder to pull a big-name escaped agent.

What helium is capable to merchantability is accidental — notably, the accidental to play with an elite extremity scorer successful Fillier, assuming the squad is capable to re-sign her.

Minnesota Frost

The two-time champions participate the off-season with lone 1 of the team's apical 4 defenders, Lee Stecklein, remaining.

Channell-Watkins is simply a escaped agent, portion Claire Thompson and Sophie Jaques were some lured away by Vancouver. 

"It's nary concealed that we request to benignant of rebuild our [defensive] halfway close now," Minnesota GM Melissa Caruso said. "I'd accidental that's precedence fig one."

Things are rosier up front. Caruso gambled by exposing Kelly Pannek and Grace Zumwinkle, and correctly guessing that Seattle and Vancouver mightiness opt for cheaper options. 

Cava, who wins championships everyplace she goes, volition beryllium a large people for different teams successful escaped agency. But Caruso volition beryllium capable to constituent to 2 Walter Cups arsenic a crushed for her enactment and proceed playing connected 1 of the champion apical lines successful the PWHL.

In summation to Cava, retaining Channell-Watkins and Rooney, who was stellar successful nett for the Frost during the PWHL Finals, should besides beryllium connected Caruso's list.